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Migrants–Internally or Externally Displaced Persons in our thoughts.

I was on a transit stop, Cairo International Airport, a not too familiar face approached me. I was 6.1’ slim (athletic built, i will tease myself), might be what he saw. ‘Good morning Sir’, do you still play? Yes of cause, from time to time (Thinking he meant music). You reside in abuja, he told me categorically. How did you know? That was how the gist started. He had a shop opposite Abuja Sheraton (Zone 4), before El-Rufai’s demolitions. He is a Sports Agent. There my laughter could be heard from one end to the other of that side of the duty free shops of the Egypt Air Departure. He was talking football, while I was thinking music.

That was where, I learnt of how they deflect travellers, from especially Africa looking for greener pastures, to Europe, then through a port in Larcana. This persons are globally connected through diverse formal and informal links. The dark syndicate has infiltrated all facets of the society and their only aim is illegal trade/exchanges for gains. Call it prostitution, drugs, smuggling, arms sales, body part merchandise, sports men/women trade, money laundering name it. In the cause of our discussions, I got to know that of the 2 –5 persons that become stars in football especially, thousands have disappeared with no knowledge of their being dead or alive. But because we so celebrate this 2 – 5 persons, millions are ready to gamble their future, to either succeed or die, with no middle ground.

The case of the Trans Saharan route, was one that has been for decades, and colonies of migrants have been formed with their administrations and government. Some have started having families on transit. They cannot return home and have not reached their desired destination.

Get this, that was during the reign of relative peace, before the various hurricanes in the Maghreb. Now that the world has risen to several carnages, in different parts of the world, the need to and want to, have become so merged that you do not know where to draw the line. Europe, America, Far East / Austrasia might be looking serious now. The catastrophe is in a decade or more from now, what will be their situation in the various places they are migrating to? I will as a reason to; the times are different. Behind this need for movements from areas of crisis and poverty are masters of gain, counting their gains, as they juggle between arms, insurgencies, child, prostitution, drugs, human organ trades.

My take is, some questions to increase our resolve as Citizens of the World. What are the remote causes of people seeking to migrate from their localities? Why do some persons, spend so much resources (enough to start them comfortably, a times in their present abode), to migrate to places with unforeseen challenges/future? What can governments and leaders do to reduce migration to the minimum?

The questions will not end, but let me go more directly now, will the stay of action on militarized zones reduce IDPs / Migrations? What will the leaders need to do, to bring such to be? The mistakes of Libya, might not be far from that of Iraq, but what is the situation in Southern Sudan, Somalia, Chad and Nigeria? Syria has become a rising concern, how can we sincerely bring an end to the quagmire?

The insincerity of stakeholders is always difficult to trace, but in all cases the actual persons on the divergent divides, do not suffer from the resultant pains caused by their actions/inactions, could we start thinking of removing the causative agents and let peace be?

While we stay in thoughts, my prayer still is, like Fashola Stated, That ‘may we never reach a time when our Loyalty will be tested’. May the Almighty look at us with Benevolence and teach us to number our days, so we can apply our hearts to wisdom; that we will start looking at truly replenishing creation (not destroying it). Have a wonderful God filled week, with a thought of persons suffering, especially Children and their Mothers. If you can visit or send help anywhere near you to reduce the hardship these Children, Brothers, Sisters, Mothers and Fathers, you will experience some divine relief. Try it and share with me your story.